Fury's Briefing
by aD1990
Summary: Ever wondered what life was like as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? Come here to find out! Clint Barton gets bored during a mission briefing and has to find a way to have some fun. Mission acomplished? Characters involved: Barton, Romanoff, Fury, Coulson.
1. A boring briefing

**STRATEGIC HOMELAND INTERVENTION ENFORCEMENT**

**AND LOGISTICS DIVISION**

Disclaimer: I certainly don't own those characters, just playing with them.

Summary: ever wondered what a day at S.H.I.E.L.D. looked like? Clint Barton is willing to share the info!

Characters involved: Clint "Hawkeye" Barton / Nick Fury / Phil Coulson / Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff (plus S.H.I.E.L.D. agents)

* * *

_S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters - 5 months prior to the Avengers Assemble_

On the distant background, Clint Barton could hear the familiar voice of director Nick Fury. The only reason it seemed so far away was because Clint wasn't listening. The room was dark, as Fury was showing the agents a map on a screen. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s finest marksman was utterly bored, wondering if it was possible to be even more bored than he was at the moment. Fury was giving his instructions for the upcoming mission, which would, it seemed, take place in New Mexico. It didn't keep Clint's attention focused one bit. Instead of what, the young man was searching for the simplest way to have a bit of fun. Why the hell not use Fury's hour-long briefings to practice...? Barton sighed loudly and looked at his neighbor and friend, Jimmy Garrett.

"Gimme something I can throw at Martins, man." The said Martins was one of Barton's fellow agents, although he didn't get along with him at all. He was seated a few rows in front of Clint. Martins was slow, stupid and useless. Quite the opposite of Clint "Hawkeye" Barton who was ever watchful, fast, agile and reckless -even though, according to Coulson, Barton's recklessness wasn't really one of his qualities...but it didn't matter, it was the way it was. Barton was one for danger!

"What thing?"

"Anything, Garrett."

Garrett searched his pockets and could only find a pen, which he handed to Barton. Despite the darkness of the room and the distance between the two men, it only took Barton two seconds to adjust his aim and throw the pen at Martins', hitting the back of his ear, just as he had intended.

"Ow!" muffled Martins, turning around.

"Oh, man! You sure as hell didn't miss that!" Garrett whispered, laughing.

"I never miss," was Barton's only retort. Unable to figure out what had just happened to him, the poor Martins turned back around and resumed listening to Nick Fury, who was still talking, absolutely unaware of the situation -or was he?

Both Barton and Garrett were still softly laughing and Clint was already preparing another lethal weapon -lethal to boredom, at least. He grabbed a rubber band and the gum he was chewing since the meeting had started -which seemed like ages, now- and made himself a handmade catapult. He pulled on the rubber band and the gum, aimed at Martins and-

"Agent Barton!" he heard, which startled him and he missed his intended target.

"Ew!" a female voice shouted.

"I missed!" Barton gasped, bewildered.

"Agent Barton!" Fury's voice repeated, apparently annoyed. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Gee, the weasel! How could he even see that in the dark?" Barton wondered.

"And with an eye missing..." Garrett added, as amazed as his friend.

"And I can hear you as well, agents! Barton, once the briefing is over, you'll go see agent Coulson, he'll have a surprise mission for you."

Clint rolled his eyes and sighed. To what stupid task would Fury assign him for his lack of respect to his superiors this time?

"Clint Barton, you...!" Clint instantly recognized the voice. It was the girl who had shouted seconds before. Martins' neighbor, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow. Oh, right, forgot to mention: part of Martins' many defaults: it seemed he was currently _seeing_ Natasha. That was one thing that _did not_ please Barton... Natasha, she wasn't the kind of woman of whom you wanted to get on the bad side. Fortunately for Clint, he wasn't -most of the time.

The lights went back on and agent Phil Coulson entered the room, a file under the arm. He walked towards Nick Fury. All agents were looking at Natasha who was desperately trying to remove the sticky gum from her hair where it had already formed a knot. She was cursing under her breath, and Barton was thankful her couldn't hear what she was muttering, fearing it might not be pretty.

Once she had finally removed most of it, she turned to face Clint, a few rows behind. "Clint Barton, I'm going to kill you!" Barton had rarely seen such anger in Natasha's eyes and suddenly felt...fear?

"Sorry, 'Tasha, wasn't aiming you..." he tried to innocent himself.

"What's all this about, Sir?" Coulson asked Fury, both standing in the front of the room.

"It's about Barton, Coulson, as usual..." Fury sighed, watching Clint and Natasha arguing.

"What'd he do?"

"He's getting bored. Gotta send him on a mission asap! Before he starts aiming us 'just to practice'..."

Coulson nodded. "What about agent Romanoff? She seems to be on the edge as well."

"Send her with him. On their own, they're powerful, but together, they're invincible. And I'd rather have them both unleashed anywhere but here..." Fury turned back to the agents and called for order. "The briefing is over. You'll receive further informations later on. You're dismissed." Then he lowered his voice again. "And, Coulson, before I forget, give Barton a little reward for his _exemplary_ behavior."

"We'll do, Sir," answered Coulson with that half-smile of his, and Fury exited the room.

* * *

"Damn it, Barton!" Natasha was shouting in a corridor, followed by Clint.

"I'm so sorry, 'Tasha! So really sorry...!"

"Well sorry's not good enough! You'll pay for this, you vulture!"

"Told you before, I'm not a vulture, I'm a hawk..."

"No, you're not! _Today_, you're not!" Natasha's voice was slowly decreasing, and it was all the more harsh on Clint, because it meant she didn't say it out of anger but she really meant it.

"And you're so much better than I am, ain't you? You and your boyfriend, mister Perfect, always thinking things over, never rushing into action, kissing asses and obeying orders without a second thought!"

"Who? Martins? He's not my boyfriend."

"Right!"

"No, he's not, but maybe he ought to be, because he's obviously better than most!" She was shouting again, anger was back.

"Don't kid yourself. Never said I'd want to get back with you." She slapped him hard. He didn't make a sound, but his cheek got bright red. Ever since he had spared her life, back in Russia, Clint and Natasha had shared a complicated relationship, which fluctuated from close friendship to partnership in missions to lovers. And they also happened to have their moments where they simply let out the tension by shouting. It was very seldom, however, and therefore twice as hurtful for the both of them.

Their eyes were now locked deep inside the other's. They didn't say a word, the anger was gone, leaving them speechless. Each was now appreciating the other's ravaging beauty. Her hair, though partly dirtied with gum, was magnificent, his eyes were intense and reassuring, her nose, his mouth... They kissed tenderly and passionately. Their lips had been apart for too long and they enjoyed rediscovering the other's.

Walking down that same corridor was the ever jovial agent Phil Coulson, Nick Fury's number one guy. The sight of the two young agents kissing made him stop walking at once. The scene he was witnessing was both pleasant and regretful. It was obvious that Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were made for each other. They loved each other and would happily offer their life to save the other. But therein laid the problem. They were agents. Trained assassins and spies. Falling in love with another agent was dangerous. It created a weakness in a spy's heart, making him less able to perform his duty. If S.H.I.E.L.D. was to lose Natasha Romanoff, then what would become of Clint Barton? And if Natasha truly became a Widow, then would she still have the will to fight and kill? Coulson's brand new assignment was clear: to separate those two agents and pretend he hadn't seen anything. Denial was the key. Clint and Natasha had yet to do the same, which would surely prove to be much more difficult and take time. _No cooperative missions for those two before a long while_, Coulson regretted. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't work without those two agents, but those two agents could and would live without being more than partners.

Coulson turned back and headed to his office where he sat at his desk. He grabbed his microphone and plugged in the wire, connecting it to the many speakers displayed in the hallways. "Agent Barton, please report to agent Coulson's office," he simply sated and waited for the agent to appear.

Clint knocked on his door a few minutes later. "Sir?" he asked, entering.

"Sit down, Barton," Coulson gestured at a seat. "Director Fury's told me you interrupted his briefing this morning."

Barton sighed. So that's what it was all about...

"Care to defend yourself?" Coulson asked. But Clint simply shook his head, there was no use in denying, there had been witnesses, anyway. "Very well... Then as a punishment, you will have to handle the new guys for a week."

"A week?" Clint let out, standing up. "Isn't that just a bit exaggerated, Sir? I really didn't do anything wrong..."

"Are you trying to bargain for two weeks, Barton?"

Clint instantly closed his mouth, understanding that arguing would only make it worse.

"Good. You start tomorrow. Dismiss," Coulson said, looking back at the many files on his desk. It was Barton's go-sign. "And don't be late!" Coulson added as Clint was exiting.

Walking back to his room, Barton was slightly regretting bothering Martins earlier that day. If he hadn't, then he wouldn't be stuck with the newest recruits for a week. He hated having to train them. Most of them would leave before long, anyways, since an agent's way of life was tough to endure. As was the training, and Clint would make sure it would be twice as hard, so they would all run back home before the end of the week. Then again, he didn't really regretted his previous action, for he surely wouldn't have had the pleasureful opportunity of kissing Natasha if he hadn't.

Smiling, he grabbed his bow and decided he would practice his aim for a while. Very few things could help him relax, and training was one of them. It also allowed him to reflect on things, keeping him focused and alert. He would think about 'Tasha, of course, he often did, and he knew their relationship was troublesome, but he also knew there was a solution to every problem. They would eventually figure this one out, although he was fully aware that the kind of arrow Cupid had shot in his heart wasn't the kind you could easily remove...

To be continued

* * *

_**Phil Coulson's note**: Agent, I would appreciate it if you clicked on the "Review" button so I can debrief you on this story._

_**Author's note**: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! -could you humor Coulson and review? He's got so much trouble with his Avengers already... spending his time running after them for debriefing...  
_

_Anyways, next chapter should be up soon. Wanna see how Clint will handle those S.H.I.E.L.D. rookies!  
_


	2. The Rookies

**Hey guys**! Chap 2 is up! Hope you'll like it! Thanks for reading my story! And don't hesistate to stop by at the Review Department later, for Coulson's usual debriefing!

Clint is still the center of this fic (because he had kind of a small part in the amazing _Avengers_ movie -but Jeremy Renner did such a great job at stealing scenes, obvioulsy) but as usual, there will be some Coulson POV (more than in the previous chapter) and Natasha as well (because she and Barton as such a perfect match -and I love to make them tease each other). Oh, and by the way, here's a possible take on why Natasha had shorter hair in _The Avengers_ than in _Iron Man 2_!

**Alright, enough talking, on with the action!**

* * *

Phil Coulson was lying in bed, enjoying a few more minutes rest. His alarm clock had sounded a little while ago but it was a habit of his, to stay in bed, eyes open, thinking about the day he was about to have. The last months had been quite hectic: a demigod's hammer had oddly landed on Earth, Dr. Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, had destroyed New York city's Chelsea Piers, and more importantly, Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, had been found, frozen in ice. Agent Coulson was ecstatic ever since he had learnt the body of his youth hero had, after so many months of research, finally been discovered. And the Captain's vitals were fine: he had survived 70 years buried in snow. Smiling, Coulson got up and reached for his pants, neatly folded on the nearest chair, opened his personal safe, and took a small box out of it. After cautiously opening its tiny padlock, he sat at his desk. He took a deck of cards out the box and looked at each with a tender smile. These were the remnants of his youth. The time were he was still innocent, completely unaware of the existence of many other inhabited planets, of the gifted people that were referred to as mutants, and more important, of how earth was, on an everyday-basis, on the brink of destruction. Today, agent Coulson of S.H..D. was doing everything in his power to prevent it. Coulson smiled at the handsome blond young man on the cards in his hands. He was shown parading with a shield in a costume that took up the colors and patterns of the Flag, a powerful symbol that Phil tended to forget, lately. A strong symbol -if not the strongest- that had given American soldiers courage and will to fight against invaders in 1940. The situation today wasn't _that_ different, after all. Yes, there were no nazis trying to rule the world anymore, but extraterrestrials with much more sophisticates weapons had replaced them. In the past few months, Phil had helped redesigning Steve Rogers' suit. It would be a good thing to have the Captain parade in the flag once more. Getting up, he placed the cards in his pocket, deciding he would have Rogers, his hero, sign them for him as soon as he would wake up. You know how, today, young boys were dreaming of meeting the fabulous and invincible Iron Man? Well, Phil Coulson had, and he actually kind of wished he hadn't, for if the Iron Man was an agent of peace, the man beneath the suit was one of chaos. However, this didn't lower Coulson's hopes, knowing that his dear Cap was nothing like Stark, but was much more forthcoming and sympathetic. His meeting with Steve Rogers would be grand and Captain America would never disappoint him or let him down; of that he was convinced.

"Good morning. What have we got for today?" he asked fellow agent Maria Hill, entering his office.

"Good morning, Sir," she said, following him, buried behind a huge pile of paperwork. "We've got news from New Mexico."

Coulson sat at his desk and looked at her intensely. "What happened? Is it about the hammer?"

"Yes, Sir, we think so. Our computers've been recording some disturbance in the area."

"Just like it had happened when the hammer _magically_ appeared?"

"We believe so, yes."

Coulson nodded, reflecting. "Hum..."

Before he could ask agent Hill further questions, his phone rang. "Coulson," he answered the call.

"_Sir, it's agent Russell. What is to be done with the new recruits?"_

"Barton'll handle them."

"_Well, Sir... They've been waiting for him for some half an hour already..."_

"Are you telling me he still hasn't showed up?"

"_I am, Sir."_

Coulson rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, can't really say I'm surprised. Barton seldom follows orders, he always goes his own way... Look, just try and keep the new guys busy, until I've found him."

"_Very well, Sir."_

Coulson hung up and looked at Hill. "Any idea where he could be?"

* * *

"You're so not gonna make it, this time!" he heard Garrett say, self-confident.

Breathing in slowly, Clint adjusted his aim. It was a tricky shot, for the target was far away and moving: a bird flying high in the sky.

"How many times will I have to tell you? I never miss..." With that, Barton released the arrow which sliced through the air at full speed. Five seconds later, the bird was falling down, its heart pierced mercilessly.

Barton was smiling, proud, watching the bird slowly falling. Both agents were standing on the landing place of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s building, enjoying the pleasant morning air.

The door opened violently and an apparently troubled Natasha joined them. Barton's jaw dropped as soon as he laid eyes on her. "'Tasha!" he gasped. "What the heck happened to your hair?"

"Don't you dare!" she warned him. "This is all your fault!"

Natasha's magnificent long red hair were now shorter. "What do you mean, all my fault?"

"Because of your stupid gum, you idiot! It was impossible to remove, and that's why I had to cut off my hair... I hope your happy!"

"I'm not..." he muttered apologetically. "Well, it's not such a big deal, after all..." he added after several minutes, playing with one of her curls. "It suits you."

She smiled, touched. "Thanks..."

Looking around, Clint noticed his friend Garrett had left, giving them some privacy.

"Well," she said. "This wasn't the reason I came here in the first place."

"Really? What was it, then?"

"Duh! Coulson's looking for you."

"Ooh! Right!" he exclaimed, realizing he had had an assignment. "Shit!"

"That's right, buddy," she said, smiling.

"Good God, you're truly enjoying this, ain't you? Me getting stuck with the rookies?"

"Ho, ho, you're right, there, Mister! I'm kind of having the time of my life. You're finally getting what you deserve!" she said, teasing. Barton who laughed.

"Alright, kiddo! Let the big boys do all the work!" he said, heading towards the door.

"Go get'em, tiger!"

Once the door had closed behind Barton, Natasha looked around. The view from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s roof was impressive. The building was high and, though she wasn't prone to vertigo, Natasha felt the urge to take a few steps back. It came as no surprise to her to find Barton here, at such high altitude. He liked to see things from up high. When agent Hill had told her that Coulson was looking for Barton, Natasha hadn't hesitated one second as to where Clint could be. She had kept the info secret, though, just to back her partner up. It was the way it worked between them. One would always protect the other. And although Coulson's wrath was not legendary -Natasha didn't even think she had ever seen him mad- she had had to alert Clint that his superior was looking for him. She would always be there to cover his back. No matter what. She would always be there for him.

* * *

As he was heading towards the first floor to join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newest recruits, Barton yawned, feeling all but happy to have to inculcate them in an agent's ways. Where would he start anyway? It wasn't the first time he had been ordered to handle rookies, but, God, he hated it.

"Alright!" he said, as he entered the large room where the eight new guys had gathered, waiting for him to show up. The room was very large and there was a two-way mirror on one side. "I'm agent Clint Barton, I'll be your referent this week and I'll supervise your training. Hope you guys got what it takes to be part of this... But, then again, I guess we'll soon find out," he explained. "Normally, I should ask each of you your name and all, but I think all this paperwork think is just a tremendous waste of time, which is why I think we should directly move on to close combat. Unless, of course, any of you has any objection?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Although it seemed the recruits had the possibility to disagree with this unusual leader, none of them spoke. Not that Clint Barton looked so very imposing, but his ways were -mostly because they were not what the recruits had been expecting. He was way too relaxed to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hot shots. They had been expecting someone much more severe and strict for their very first day.

"Very well, then!" he said. "I see you guys are eight. Why don't you form pairs and...start fighting? Once your opponent is down, you fight the guy who won the fight next to you. I'll fight whoever's the last one standing."

Barton left the center of the room and went to sit on a chair in a corner, resting his legs up on a nearby chair. He observed each recruit as they were fiercely fighting against each other. In a way, it made Barton softly chuckle. He had always made it a point not to stupidly obey every orders, but rather to differentiate them, to think them over and choose to follow the ones that seemed the most considered. Of course, there were moments when he couldn't afford to waste time and think -in battle, for instance. But it seemed stupid to him that these young people were willing to beat up their fellow recruits without giving it a second thought, just to prove they were worth working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

He looked at each of their files. There was a Chris Caldwell, 29, from Kentucky. The file described him as a "Sapiens," as did Barton's. So were all individuals who did not possess any mutant abilities. Then there was Samantha Willis, 27, from Ontario. It was said in her file that she had the ability to split her own body in at least 25 more. Adrian Montez, 18 years old, Sapiens; Thomas Curtis, 29, Sapiens; Mary Evans, 25, could make her entire body disappear: Jeff Norman, 30, Sapiens; Amy Wilson, 14, could- _Wait! What? 14 years old?_ He looked up from her file and looked for the girl among the recruits fighting. It didn't take long for his hawk eyes to find her, fighting fiercely and fearlessly against a man twice her size and age. Barton raised his eyebrow. How on earth could they have authorized a child to join...? Puzzled, he looked back at her file. "_Amy Georgia Wilson is a special young girl_," was written on her file._ I bet!_ Barton thought. "_She is strongly determined and will achieve anything she undertakes. A. G. Wilson possesses the X-gene, which makes her all the more exceptional: she is a telepath_." _Ah, just like the X-Men Professor, then_, Barton guessed, taking a mental picture of the girl, fearing that, if she possessed the same ability as Charles Xavier and if S.H..D. was _that_ interested in her, she might prove to be very powerful.

Just as Barton had finished reading her file, the door opened and Phil Coulson entered quietly, not wanting to interrupt the wrestling. He came to stand by Barton with a disapproving look on his face.

"Hi, Coulson!" Clint said without standing up, opening the next file.

"Barton, we've been looking for you. Why weren't you here on time?" And without even giving Clint a moment to answer, he gestured towards the fighting recruits. "And what's all this about?"

"It was a test. They all failed," he simply answered.

Not understanding Clint's meaning, Coulson just rolled his eyes. "Well, when they'll be done doing...whatever you asked them to, you'll _please_ explain them the way things work, here. It's the first thing they need to know."

"I thought I was in charge, here, boss."

Coulson smiled, Barton had a point. "Actually, yes, you are. Look, do whatever you think is right, but I want them _all_ in one piece by the end of the week."

* * *

**Phil Coulson's note**: See you in debriefing, agent!

**Author's note**: Here's the end of chapter 2, I'm working on chapter 3, so if you have any remarks or ideas just let me know! =D


	3. The Thief

Holla! Chapter 3 is up! Hope you'll like it!

**And... ACTION!  
**

* * *

"So, how are you handling the new guys?" Natasha asked Clint, seated opposite her, picking at his food.

"Fine," he simply answered, eyes locked on the potato in his plate. "How are you handling Stark?" he asked, looking at her.

She looked taken aback, she surely wasn't expecting _that_ question. "Er- fine!" she imitated Clint who looked at her, unconvinced.

"That's not what I heard."

"What did you hear?" she asked, somewhat hurt.

"I heard he's been giving you a hell of a hard time these last few months."

"I-" she started, but she found herself unable to contradict that gossip. After all, Stark _was_ a pain in the ass. Instead, she simply chose to attack Clint back. The best defense was always a good offense. "And I heard Coulson didn't seem that _thrilled_ with your ways regarding the rookies' training."

Clint chuckled. It didn't surprise him one bit that Tasha was reacting offensively. After all, wasn't it one of the reasons he liked her so much? "Hey! I've been meaning to tell you!" he said, lowering his voice and bending his head forward. She did the same to listen, intrigued. "There's this girl in the group of recruits... She _fourteen_!"

Natasha frowned her eyebrows.

"I know, right?" he said, sitting back in his chair.

"How the hell did she manage to even get selected for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Natasha asked, mused.

"I have no idea! And that, my dear, is exactly what I'm about to discover!" he said, getting up, grabbing his apple and biting in it.

"And how are you planning on doing that?" she asked, dubious.

He smiled. "If I told ya, it'd spoil a part of the fun." Her puppy dog look made him reconsider. "But I can tell you that agent Coulson's gonna help me," he said, winking.

Her jaw dropped open. "Don't tell me you're going to steal Coulson's ID?" she whispered, excited, as she got up to join him.

"Oh, come on, Tasha. It's not as if I hadn't done it before. Besides, I'm not going to _steal_ it, I'm only going to borrow it."

"Clint, you're hopeless..." she said, exasperated, which only made him laugh.

"Oh, and you're _so_ not coming!" he added. "Don't want you screwing the whole operation up."

"You're lucky I have to meet up with Stark. Otherwise you would have been stuck with me, partner."

He instantly stopped walking and turned around to face her. "Meet him? What for?"

"It's about his debriefing, nothing huge, but Fury wants me there," she explained, before starting wondering why Clint was even interested in the thing. "Why?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering. Alright, then see ya, Tasha!" he said, walking away.

"Bye, Clint!" she answered, absent-minded, and turned around to start walking in the opposite direction, towards the elevators. On the way, she started wondering the meaning of Clint's sudden interest in Anthony Stark. Barton had always showed little to no interest in the billionaire. So why was he so intrigued now? Did it have anything to do with her being involved with Stark? In fact, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the reason for this. Succumbing to emotion wasn't conceivable, as far as she or Clint were concerned. They were spies, and that was it. Only love they were allowed to have was love for their country. Patriotism was highly recommended. Love was not. And then, of course, there was Budapest. That was something she wasn't going to forget. But what about Clint? She wondered. Had he forgotten all about it? Budapest wasn't a subject they brought up often. Actually, they had never spoken of it ever since it happened, two years ago, and still, each detail was still fresh in her mind. She would never forget it -and found herself hoping Clint wouldn't either.

* * *

Clint Barton was walking towards the staircase, knowing there were cameras in the elevators and he wasn't thrilled about being filmed right before stealing -no _borrowing_- Coulson's ID. That holly card was an all-access pass to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most secret files: Coulson had a level clearance of 10 -while Barton only had an 8. Although Clint had already done this in the past, it remained a tricky operation because Coulson never let his ID lying around and rarely removed his jacket. He would simply have to distract the man -if that was even possible, for Coulson was ever watchful, always on guard. But after all, wasn't it part of the fun -the difficulty?

Clint Barton finally arrived at the 6th floor and headed towards Coulson's office, taking another bite of his apple. On the way, he met fellow agent Maria Hill who smiled at him.

"Agent Barton!" she said.

"Agent Hill."

"Wait- aren't you supposed to be training..."

"Nope," he interrupted her, tired of hearing about the recruits. "Have you seen Coulson? Need to talk to him."

"Er, yeah, he's in his office."

"Thanks, take care!" he said with a crooked smile as he headed towards the office number C24, one he had often visited. Of course, Clint also could have tried to steal Nick Fury's ID: the man was, after all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s big boss. But he had granted Coulson full clearance access and it was way easier to get Coulson's -at least he was actually present, whereas Fury never was, he was always on the move, never to be found.

Clint knocked on the C24 office door on which the name _Phil Coulson_ was engraved, followed by _Agent_. "Come in!" he heard and opened the door to find a Phil, pen in the hand, buried deep under piles of files and paperworks. Clint couldn't restrain a chuckle and frowned. "Oh, boy! You're deep in it, boss!"

"Well, these things need to be done, Barton. Just as doing what you're told, such as training the recruits."

Clint pretended he didn't hear that and simply sat in front of Phil, across the desk.

"Why aren't you with them?" Coulson asked, imperturbable.

"They're grown ups. They can take care of themselves," he answered, grabbing a file, much to Phil's dismay who unsuccessfully tried to take it back. "Actually," he corrected himself. "There is _one_ that isn't! Any informations on her?"

Coulson smiled. "I knew you'd come rummage through top secret files, Barton, but you do not have access to everything."

"Oh, come on, Coulson, how am I supposed to train the girl if I don't know a thing about her?"

"What's written in the file you've been handed is quite enough to satisfy your curiosity. In six days, you won't have to deal with her anymore, anyway."

"So that means she's here temporally, then. Because if she wasn't, then I'd still see her in the building or might even have to work with her on a mission."

"Alright, enough with your questions and investigations, Barton, off you go, down to the second floor. Go play with your newfound friends and let the grown ups do the hard work," he said, gesturing to the door with a soft smile.

Barton exited and closed the door behind him. He looked at his watch. It was 2:30. It was common knowledge that Phil Coulson had his habits. On the Tuesday, at 2:45, the man would go down to the 4th floor's rec room and watch his favorite TV show for 30 minutes. What was that show, again? Something with a nanny in it... Anyway, Clint would have 30 minutes to get Coulson's ID. What he had just heard in the office was far from enough to "satisfy his curiosity," as his superior had put it.

Going down the stairs to the 4th floor, Clint took out his cell and called John Gibson, one of his closest friends who also happened to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "Hey, Johnny! If you're not too busy, meet me at the rec room, alright? Got a special mission for you."

When Barton arrived at the rec room, Gibson was already there, waiting for him. "I was around," he explained, noticing Clint's surprise. "So, what's it all about?"

"I'm going to need you to distract Coulson while I take his ID."

"Again?" Johnny let out.

"This time I really need to. It's important."

"You sure? Because remember how he reacted last time he found out..."

"I remember. But this time it's different. Let's say it's for a good cause."

"Well, if you're so sure, that's fine by me. When is he coming down here, already?"

"In ten minutes. I'm not supposed to be here, so you get in and keep him distracted and watch that show of his with him, but whatever happens, he mustn't know I'm in there as well."

"Alright. And after, what are you going to do with his ID?"

"It's easy. I get to the 10th floor with his pass and search for my answers."

"Which are...?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be looking for them, Gibs."

"Right, stop playing with words, Barton, just tell me what you want his ID for. And don't call me Gibs. It's too much _NCIS_."

"No, there's only one B in Gibs. And it suits you, and I'm getting used to it."

"I'm not. I never will."

"Whatever, man! Look, just help me. Besides, you owe me one, remember?"

"No I don't! I paid my debt back when we were in France, stupid!"

"Uh-uh! I thought we agreed that didn't count."

"Yes it-"

"Good job, Natasha, I'll talk to you later," they heard from a close distance and instantly realized it was Coulson on the phone, on his way to the rec room. They panicked and Gibs entered the rec room while Barton ran away in the opposite direction to avoid being seen. This op wasn't starting so great, Clint regretted.

From his hiding place, the Hawk heard the rec room's door close. Coulson was in. Just give it a few more minutes for him to be comfortably settled in on the couch and hypnotized by the nanny. Then, Clint would silently enter and take the ID. Simple as that.

Five minutes later, he was quietly working on opening the doorknob. It was a success: Clint was trained to be quiet when required. Inside the room, he found Gibs and Coulson, sitting on the couch, facing the TV, their backs facing him. For one second, his attention was drawn to the TV's british accent. He had never watched an episode of _Supernanny_ and, judging from the few seconds he _did_ watch it, he considered he didn't miss anything. He started wondering what Coulson could find interesting in this and humorously imagined Coulson as the supernanny taking care of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. After all, wasn't it part of his task -supervising?

Clint blinked his eyes to refocus on his mission. He didn't have time to lose in speculations. Thankfully, Coulson had removed his jacket and had set it, folded, on the back of the couch. Retrieving the ID would be a piece of cake. As quietly as possible, he searched the pockets. The front ones... the breast ones... the hip ones... the pass was nowhere to be found! He put the jacket back in its place and bent down behind the couch, and started texting Gibs to explain the tricky situation.

After reading the text, Gibs turned to Phil and politely engaged a conversation about the show, all the while frisking him with his eyes...which finally landed on the breast pocket of Coulson's shirt which seemed to contain a card -his ID, no doubt. He texted the info back to Barton who, in turn, asked him to keep talking to Coulson to distract him. When the highest ranked agent had his head turned to the left, to look at Gibs, Barton made his move towards the pocket and carefully took the ID out. Coulson hadn't felt a thing. With a grateful nod of the head towards Gibs, Barton left the room as quietly as he had entered.

When he was finally in the stairways, heading towards the 10th floor, Barton took a good look at the card he was holding, his prize. He had kind of fought hard to get it and he made sure he would make the most of it.

* * *

**Nick Fury's note:** Agent, I will be the one to come and see for this chapter's debriefing, because it seems agent Phil Coulson's ID has been missing and he is too busy trying to find it back at the present. Anyway, once you've read this, please, come tell me what you thought of it!

**Author's note:** Here we go, Chapter 3 is officially over (only to be replaced by a chapter 4 ASAP). I'd love to know what you thought and if you have any comments on it, address to Nick Fury in the Review Department. Poor Coulson, I sincerely hope he'll retrieve his ID soon! Then again, I love when Barton drives him crazy! =D


	4. The 10th Level

**Here we go again, next chapter!**

**I had a lot of fun writing this one and I hope you'll enjoy reading it just as much.**

**Barton is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ultimate thief! Yay, I'm so proud of him (but I don't own him).**

**Characters present: Barton, Tasha, Coulson, Fury!**

* * *

When the end credits of the _Supernanny_ program Coulson was just watching rolled on the screen, the agent softly yawned, stretching his arms. That wasn't something he often did, trying to appear strict and impeccable in public, but he did allow himself some human habits at times, when he knew no one was watching. And no one was, at that moment. The only person that had been present for the last hour had been fellow agent John M. Gibson and he had left the room long before the end of the show. Gibson wasn't an agent Phil knew well. He worked in the B2 floor, one that Coulson seldom visited, for it was strictly assigned to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computer security incident management. He knew Gibson to be one of Clint Barton's best friends and therefore knew he had to be careful when he was around. To say the truth, Coulson had been surprised to see Gibson watch _Supernanny_ with him, for he had never watched it before. And Phil had even seen the agent make fun of the show with his buddy Barton. Getting up, he grabbed his jacket and left the room. He had an appointment with Director Fury.

"Ah, Coulson, sit down," Fury said as Phil entered the Director's office. "What news from New Mexico?"

"The situation is stable, Sir. The hammer is still in place and nothing's changed."

"For the first time, I'm not sure wether this is good news or bad news. In a way, I'm glad this _hammer_ doesn't give us any trouble, and yet I just can't believe it's landed there for no reason... It _must_ belong to someone. And this someone should want to retrieve it."

"Well, I think all we need to do right now is be patient. We shall have our answer eventually, I guess."

Nick Fury nodded. "Still, I'd like you to go back there, Coulson. I need you on the field." Coulson nodded. "But first," Fury added," I'd like you to go search in our files upstairs if there's any record of such a situation in past."

"Very well, Sir, I'm on it,"

_The files upstairs_ were the top secret files only a handful of high-ranked agents had access to. Coulson enjoyed particularly searching through those files. It made him feel like he had power, and he liked that. The thought made him smile as he was waiting for the elevator to reach level 10. He frisked his pockets, looking for his ID which would allow him access, but he realized it was nowhere to be found. _What the...!_ he thought. _How could I lose my ID? I'm usually so mindful of my things..._ And then he realized the answer to the problem might be much simpler: what if someone had _stolen_ it...?

Clint Barton was feeling like a little kid all over again, a smile spread across his handsome face. He was walking down the numerous alleys of secret file shelves. Surely, it was more the fact that he had broken S.H.I.E.L.D.'s law than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s impeccable organization when it came to sheets of papers that made him so happy, but in any case, he was enjoying himself. _It's a thousand times more fun than tutoring rookies!_

He finally got to the alley 763-G, specialized in recruits. The files were arranged by names. It would be a piece of cake to find the girl's file... _Wait! What was her name, already...?_

"Shit!" Barton let out. "How can one be so stupid! Okay, let's just concentrate and think. It was something short starting with an A... Addy... Abby... Arnie... Andy... No, no, she wasn't a dude... Amy! Right, Amy! And then her last name was the one in the medical series Tasha's so fond of... The _House, MD_ stuff... Amy House? No... Definitely not. Wilson! Amy Wilson! That sounds about right."

Barton looked at his watch. He had been in here for thirty minutes. He had to hurry, as he knew Coulson would quickly find out his ID was missing. He found the W. shelf and opened it. When he finally found the Wilsons, he disappointedly realized there was no Amy among them. He closed it back, annoyed. And yet, he wasn't ready to give up. It had been obvious, earlier, in Coulson's office that the Amy Wilson file existed. And Clint would find it. _It must be stored somewhere else..._

What about the _Mutants_ shelf? In it, Clint found out there were more than 600 mutant Wilsons recorded throughout the whole world. It made him chuckle, for he felt like S.H.I.E.L.D. was another FBI. Again, he didn't find his Amy's file. There were Amy Wilsons, but not the one he was training, for they were all too old. A quick at his watch: 45 minutes. He had to hurry.

He ran to the _Specially gifted_ shelf where he found Magneto's file, Charles Xavier's, Tony Stark's, Captain America's, Peter Parker's and many others, and he eventually found an Amy Wilson whose date of birth concurred with her age. He took the file and started to walk towards the exit, when he suddenly stopped and headed towards the _S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents_ shelf, determined to grab his own and Tasha's. It would be fun to see what was said of them. He had no difficulty finding those, this time.

He quickly made copies of the files and put them back in place. Just as he was closing the file cabin, he heard the entrance door open. He instantly froze. Who could that be? Surely not Coulson, for he had obviously no ID at the moment. He heard footsteps coming closer and the man started whistling. Good, obviously, he wasn't here looking for Barton. Clint would therefore only have to play hide and seek with the agent to avoid him. As quietly as an agent could, Clint started towards the door, making sure the agent wouldn't spot him.

The agent's walkie-talkie made the usual buzz it always made when someone was at the other end of the line. _"Agent Madsen! This is agent Hill."_

"Madsen speaking."

"_We've been reported a potential security breach in the tenth level. Have you noticed anything?"_

"I haven't, but I'll keep my eyes open. May I ask what kind of breach?"

"_Agent Coulson's ID's been missing. Over."_

"Copy that, over."

Clint was unable to restrain a smile as he pictured Coulson's face realizing he had just lost his ID. And Clint also felt relieved when he heard the agent's name. Madsen was all but bright. How he had come to get a 10th level at S.H.I.E.L.D. was as mysterious as it was convenient: Clint would know how to handle the man, should he be discovered by Madsen. But Clint would not get caught. He was far too good for that.

* * *

When he made it back to his room, located at the 6th level of the building, Clint locked his door, sat on the edge of his bed and displayed the three files he had "borrowed". He first opened the young Wilson's to satisfy his curiosity. There was nothing particularly interesting in the first few pages. Only the usual stuff. However, when he got to the last pages, it all became more interesting and "Top Secret".

He read: "Amy Wilson is of great importance. Prof. Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, himself has asked S.H.I.E.L.D. to take her in. S.H.I.E.L.D. will have to protect her, whatever the cost, as she is one of Erik Lensherr's, aka Magneto, top target. It would appear he has made it a point to have her by his side to face Xavier's X-Men."

"Holly crap!" Clint let out. "That's some real top secret stuff!"

"A. Wilson is however unaware of this situation and C. Xavier would like it to remain that way for the moment. She shall receive a full training supervised by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents." Clint chuckled, somewhat proud of himself, though he had never doubted his abilities and the fact that he was one of the best, it was always pleasant to hear –or in this case read. Before he could read any further, he heard a knock on his door.

"Just a moment!" he said, getting up and hiding the files as fast as he could under the bed. He opened the door. "Tasha!" he said.

"Why, you seem surprised to see me, Clint."

"It's just… I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought you were with Stark."

"I was, but as I told you, it was only for a debriefing. My business with him is over," she explained, entering without being invited to, as she always did. "I heard there had been a security breach at the 10th level," she added, teasing him.

He chuckled. "Who told you?"

"Hill. She said Coulson had lost his idea, and she had never seen him in such a state of agitation. You're cruel with him, Clint. You know he can't handle that kind of stress," she said, a soft smile appearing in the corner of her lips.

"He will handle it, don't worry. He already did before."

"You know he has made a list of the possible thieves?"

"Oh yeah?" Clint laughed. "Who's at the top?"

"Guess."

"Err… Me?"

"Well done! And then there's Stevens and Garret. And then there also the possibility that a stranger broke in, stole Coulson's ID and disappeared magically. But Coulson doesn't really believes in this scenario. So, are you gonna show me what you found out up there?"

"Oh, you're gonna love it, Tasha!" She raised her eyebrows as he bent down to retrieve the files from under the bed. He handed her hers and she opened wide eyes.

"Clint! That's… brilliant!"

They both opened their respective files, intrigued as to what Fury and Coulson had to say about them. Clint was described by Coulson as being _"opposed to following orders"_, _"reckless"_, _"stubborn"_, _"skilled"_ and _"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s finest marksman"_. He smiled. That was actually the way he saw himself, so this description suited him just fine. As for Natasha, she was _"organized"_, _"highly skilled in martial arts"_ and _"deeply committed to her work"_. At the bottom of the page, Clint saw a special note: _"Hawkeye may be lethal all by himself, but when teamed up with Black Widow, he becomes unstoppable."_ He opened wide eyes and looked at Natasha who seemed to have the same surprised expression in her gaze. Had S.H.I.E.L.D. understood them so well? Natasha softly smiled at him, their eyes still locked intensely. He slowly bent his head forward and so did she. Their eyes closed at the same time and they kissed passionately. When he opened his eyes, he realized his hand was tangled in her beautiful red hair and her hands were stroking his cheeks and arms. They smiled at each other and she rested her forehead on his in a very intimate manner. Clint and Natasha had been very close ever since he had chosen to let her live. They were more than brother and sister, they were more than lovers, they were more than close friends, they were all at once. S.H.I.E.L.D. was right, together, they were literally unstoppable. Anyone who would dare keep them apart would suffer their wrath.

"Tasha..." Clint whispered.

"Shh. Just...enjoy the moment, Clint." And she kissed him again before pushing him down on the floor and started to unbutton his shirt and pants. He undid the zipper of her dashing leather suit. In the room, there was no sound but the heavy breath of the two young lovers sharing a passionate moment. These moments did not happen on a regular basis, far from that, and they both enjoyed them therefore twice as much. It was a time where Natasha could forget about her duty and let herself go in the arms of the one she'd ever have feelings for, although it was difficult for her to admit it. Love is for children. She always reminded herself of that hurtful truth. But not at that moment. She was free.

Panting, she rested her body on Clint's. Their eyes were tightly shut in sheer pleasure.

"_Agent Clint Barton is to report to Agent Coulson right away,"_ they heard through the speakers in the hallways.

"Well, can't say I wasn't expecting this one…" Clint sighed.

"Well, how are you planning on getting out of it?"

"I have my plan, don't worry. Good old Coulson won't get me that easily."

"He already know it's you, Clint."

"He does, but can he prove it?" he asked with a wink.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Be patient," he answered, caressing Tasha's hair. "I really like your new hairstyle," he added with a crooked smile. She returned the smile and kissed his lips.

* * *

**Coulson's note**: Debreifieng? Anyone?

**Author's note**: There you go! Reviews, please! :)

Next: will Coulson be able to prove that his suspicions concerning Barton are right?


End file.
